1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to the prevention of hydrate formation in pipelines, and more specifically to maintaining the temperature of fluids flowing through a pipeline above a target value.
2. Description of the Related Art
In natural gas pipelines, drops in temperature can cause the formation of crystalline water-based solids, which is known as hydrate. The formation of hydrate can block the pipeline and slow down or shutdown gas production.
Many current methods have been attempted to alleviate the problems associated with the formation of hydrates. The formation of hydrates is not only dependent on the temperature, but also the pressure of the hydrocarbons and the chemical composition of the fluids flowing through the pipeline. The fluids flowing through the pipeline may also be affected by the formation of wax deposits which is also temperature dependent.
In some current systems, an inhibitor can be injected into the pipeline, insulation materials can coat the pipeline to help the pipeline retain heat, or electrical heating systems can be used to heat the pipeline. These systems can be expensive and inefficient and can raise other issues such as the extraction of the inhibitor from the hydrocarbons, a less than ideal coverage with insulation materials and a limit in the length of pipeline that can be heated with an electrical heating system. Other current systems require external power sources and robotics. When such components fail, the entire heating system can fail. Upon such failure, retrieval of the system can be challenging.